[HIV-patients self-evaluated health and functional status. Basis for individually-adapted nursing care planning]

The first case with HIV-infection in Sweden was recognized in the beginning of the nineteen eighties. Since then 2972 cases have been identified. The purpose of this study was to investigate HIV-infected patients' perception of their everyday life situation. Two questionnaires were used: Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and one developed for the purpose of this study. Twenty patients, mean age 44 years with T4 cells, crucial for the immunological status, ranging from 0.15-0.2 x 109/l at a research unit participated in the study. The HIV patients investigated had high SIP-scores as compared to healthy controls. Thus the patients perceived their everyday health related behavior as impaired. The functions related to work, recreation-pasttime and sleep-rest were most impaired. Those who still were working and had had no physical impairments also evaluated their general health as being better as compared to non workers. The study, even when a small one, showed that the health related behaviors of these patients have a large individual variation. Therefore it is important to develop individual nursing care for this group of patients.